Novak Djokovic again appeared to struggle with fitness issues as he came from behind to avoid a second-round exit to world No 104 Yunchaokete Bu at the China Open on Friday.
The Serbian went 1-0 down before he was taken to a tiebreak in the second set. But Djokovic dug deep to claim the final set and cap off a resilient 6-4 6-7(7-2) 2-6 comeback victory over the Chinese wildcard, and extend his record winning streak at the China Open to 31 matches.
Djokovic struggled with fitness issues and required medical attention during his match against Bu
Djokovic had revealed in August that he had an ongoing health condition but said he had been “feeling good” ahead of this week’s tournament. However, he appeared to have difficulties with his fitness at times in both of his opening matches, previously saying he “struggled a little bit to stay fresh” during his victory against Nuno Borges.
“I had to play very well and serve well in the right moments,” Djokovic said on Friday, following his win.
“He [Bu] was so solid and I struggled to really find holes in his game.
“He was hitting his spots incredibly well with the serve and was mixing things up really well in the rallies from the back of the court, with some short slices, making me come in.”
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Djokovic admitted he had struggled physically during his first round match against Nuno Borges
Bu was aggressive early, forcing Djokovic to save three break points at 3-3 in the first set, with the Serbian doing his best to hold off his opponent’s advances, but ultimately sent a one-handed backhand beyond the baseline to concede a break point.
Nothing could separate the pair over the next hour of play, but Djokovic found an extra gear in the second-set tiebreak to send the match to a deciding set, despite the Serbian seeming fatigued before requiring treatment on the side of the court.
From there, Djokovic surged forward, going 4-0 up before closing out the match and booking a quarter-finals clash against the winner of Alexander Zverev and Juncheng Shang’s match.
Elsewhere in Beijing, Daniil Medvedev set up a second-round tie against Jan-Lennard Struff after the Russian beat Pablo Carreno-Busta 6-4 6-2. Karen Khachanov defeated Alex Molcan 7-5 6-3.
Meanwhile, at the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships, Artur Fils beat Frances Tiafoe 6-3 7-5 to book his place in the quarter-finals.
Sabalenka surges to third round, Osaka survives second set scare
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Aryna Sabalenka cruised past Renata Zarazua
Aryna Sabalenka got her China Open campaign off to a flying start as the world No 2 claimed a dominant 6-1 6-3 victory over world No 94 Renata Zarazua in an hour and three minutes.
Sabalenka showcased her power early, producing some ferocious groundstrokes to move to a 3-0 lead. She’d break Zarazua once more to go 5-1 up before serving out the final game to love.
The Belarusian kept her foot on the gas pedal into the second set, breaking Zarazua inside three games before Sabalenka closed out the match with another break. Sabalenka will now play world No 34 Nikola Bartunkova in the next round.
Naomi Osaka, meanwhile, had to work hard to secure her spot in the third round at the China Open, as she was taken to three sets by Maria Timofeeva.
Despite dropping off the pace in the second set, Osaka’s big game experience shone through late on, as she rebounded to seal a 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory.
Naomi Osaka sealed victory agianst Maria Timofeeva at the China Open on Friday
“It was really tough,” Osaka said. “It was my first match since New York, so it was a little difficult getting my bearings. She’s a great player, and I think it was a great match.”
Osaka took the first set comfortably, but looked surprisingly off the pace in the second, with Timofeeva hitting back from going a break down to win the next five games and pull level at 1-1.
But the four-time Grand Slam champion found another gear in the final set, winning five straight games as she clinically closed out the match, to set up a tie against 20th seed Sara Bejlek.
Boulter suffers defeat to Muchova
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Katie Boulter was knocked out in the second round by Karolina Muchova
Boulter was knocked out in the second round of the China Open on Friday after the Brit suffered a 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 defeat to world No 8 Karolina Muchova.
It was a familiar tale for Boulter, who has lost all three of her matches against Muchova this season, most recently in the second round of the US Open.
“It was a very close match; we’ve played a few times this year,” Muchova said.
“This was a really tough battle. Boulter played great. She served really well and was hitting the ball very clean.
“It was really just a few points difference in the first set.”
Keen to avenge her loss to Muchova at Flushing Meadows, Boulter came out of the blocks fast, taking a 4-1 lead in the first set. However, she allowed the Czech to creep back into the match, with Muchova breaking the Brit to pull level at 4-4.
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Muchova produced an extraordinary 360 spinning shot in her match against Katie Boulter at the China Open
They matched each other with high-quality groundstrokes, with Muchova picking off some brilliant winners to force the opening set to a tense tiebreak. After multiple tense rallies, including a pirouette drop shot from Muchova, the 2026 Wimbledon finalist would take the first set.
With momentum on her side, Muchova put her foot on the gas pedal, breaking Boulter twice in the second set to book a third-round tie against world No 39 Liudmila Samsonova.
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